Sulfate ions present in soil, groundwater, seawater, decaying organic matter, acid rain, and industrial effluent adversely affect the long-term durability of portland cement concrete, but lack of complete understanding of the nature and consequences of sulfate attack hamper our ability to accurately predict performance of concrete in sulfate-rich environments. One impediment to improved understanding of sulfate deterioration of cement-based materials has been the lack of appropriate non-destructive characterization techniques. Laboratory x-ray microtomography affords an opportunity to study in situ the evolution of physical manifestations of damage due to sulfate exposure. The influence of materials selection and mixture parameters -- including water-to-cement ratio, cement type, and presence or absence of aggregate, as well as the influence of sulfate exposure conditions, including sulfate and cation type (i.e., Na2SO4 and MgSO4) and concentration -- have been examined by microtomography to determine their influence on the rate and character of the sulfate-induced deterioration.
Corrosion of steel rebar in reinforced concrete structures, can be induced by the presence of chloride in the structure. Corrosion of steel rebar is a problematic issue in the construction industry as it compromises the strength and integrity of the structure. Although techniques exist for chloride detection and its migration into a structure, they are destructive, time consuming and cannot be used for the interrogation of large surfaces. In this investigation three different portland cement types; namely, ASTM types II, III and V were used, and six cubic (8' X 8' X 8') mortar specimens were produced all with water-to-cement (w/c) ratio of 0.6 and sand-to-cement (s/c) ratio of 1.5. Tap water was used when producing three of these specimens (one of each cement type). For the other three specimens calcium chloride was added to the mixing tap water resulting in a salinity of 2.5%. These specimens were placed in a hydration room for one day and thereafter left it the room temperature with low humidity. The reflection properties of these specimens, using an open-ended rectangular waveguide probe, were monitored daily at 3 GHz (S-band) and 10 GHz (X-band). The results show the influence of cement type on the reflection coefficient as well as the influence of chloride on the curing process and setting time.
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